Buy Luigi's Mansion 3

While Luigi's Mansion 3's single-player was the highlight of the game, the multiplayer mode also held a lot of appeal.  Perhaps that is why Multiplayer Pack Part 1, the initial DLC for the game, is entirely geared around the multiplayer. It boils down to a few additional multiplayer games and some cosmetic costumes for the Scarescraper mode. If you were hoping for more of Luigi's Mansion 3's charming single-player campaign, it is unfortunately not part of this package.

The bulk of the new features in this DLC are the minigames. The first minigame, Dodgebrawl, has you using your ghost-sucking vacuum to pick up balls and attempt to hit your opponents with them. Pick up a ball, throw a ball, and try not to get hit. There are different kinds of balls that fall onto the stage, including giant watermelons or explosive bombs, each with a different property that you can use to try to score a point on an opponent. Three hits and you're down, unless your ally can revive you.

Minigames are the theme of this DLC. The second mode, River Bank, repurposes the duck boat mechanics from the main game into another minigame. Players are put on a small riverbank near a waterfall where coins, dangerous spikes, and logs constantly drop. Your goal is to get the most coins possible by driving the duckboat and trying to avoid dangerous obstacles or going over the edge. Doing so makes you lose all of your coins, and you have to restart. That felt too punishing to me; it means that once you die, you basically depend on your opponent to also die, or else there's no reliable way to catch up. This can make it swing very hard in party game situations, which takes away the fun.

The third mode is probably the best of the lot. Tricky Ghost Hunt has you competitively trying to capture ghosts in a constantly shifting room with dangerous electric tiles and other random bits. It's basically the core Luigi's Mansion gameplay in a bite-sized form. Of the three modes, this is the one I would expect to have the most long-term value. It doesn't change things up much, but it's a more cohesive experience than the other two modes, which feel like minigames. This is one of the most accessible ways to introduce someone to Luigi's Mansion gameplay, which makes it good for younger players.

The other part of the DLC is cosmetic costumes for the Scarescraper mode. These three delightful costumes (The Green Knight, Groovigi and Mummigi) change the look of Luigi and also of the Scarescraper around him. The Green Knight has a medieval theme, Groovigi gets a neon disco theme, and Mummigi gets an Egyptian theme. There's no significant gameplay change with these costumes, but they add some nice extra flair to the multiplayer mode.

Is Luigi's Mansion 3: Multiplayer Pack Part 1 worth the cost? It depends on how much value you think you'll get out of the various features. If you don't plan to touch multiplayer, then it isn't for you. Otherwise, you're effectively paying $10 for three skins and three new modes. There will be a Part 2 sometime in April, and it will feature more minigames and more costumes, which will add a substantial value to the package. Honestly, $10 isn't a bad price for what is being offered, but it's for multiplayer fans only.

Score: 7.0/10